Manchester United will meet the two highest-profile bidders, consortia led by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, on Thursday and Friday before what is expected to be better offers for control of the club, they said. sources to ESPN. .
Sources said representatives of Qatari banker Sheikh Jassim are expected at Old Trafford and Carrington for presentations on Thursday.
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Sheikh Jassim will not attend, but British billionaire Ratcliffe, chairman and chief executive of chemical company INEOS, could be on hand for a similar presentation on Friday. Ratcliffe will attend Nice’s Europa Conference League tie with Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday night.
The Glazer family, which announced it is considering selling the club in November, and the Raine Group, the commercial bank overseeing the process, expect better offers once presentations to interested parties have been completed.
The sources added that indicative offers received before Raine’s flexible deadline fell short of the Glazer family’s valuation of around £6bn.
There have also been talks with other consortia interested in a full takeover and at least three US-based hedge funds, including Elliot Investment Management, that have indicated they would be willing to make a minority investment.
Sources said the Glazers are keeping all options open for now.
Sheikh Jassim representatives hope the presentations will give them a better understanding of the work required to improve the facilities at Old Trafford and Carrington. Plans to redevelop Old Trafford have been initiated by the Glazers but are on hold while the ownership situation remains up in the air.
There are also tentative plans to improve Carrington, including the construction of designated facilities for the women’s team and the installation of cart paths to allow easier access around the site.
Sources close to various stakeholders have told ESPN that they do not believe the Glazers’ valuation of the club accurately measures the amount of post-acquisition investment that would be required to make Old Trafford and Carrington one of the best facilities for soccer of the world .